Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Switch

Hit the road with the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 and play anytime, anywhere! Race your friends or battle them in a revised battle mode on new and returning battle courses. Play locally in up to 4-player multiplayer in 1080p while playing in TV Mode.

Every track from the Wii U version, including DLC, makes a return. Plus, the all new guest characters, along with returning favorites, such as King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr.!

Race your friends in the definitive version of Mario Kart 8, only on Nintendo Switch!

Race as every character on every track from the Wii U version, including DLC characters and tracks.

Pop some balloons in the revamped Battle mode, complete with Balloon Battle and Bob-omb Blast.

Battle on new courses, like Urchin Underpass and Battle Stadium, or returning ones, such as GCN Luigi’s Mansion and SNES Battle Course 1.

Players can choose a new Smart Steering feature which makes driving and staying on the track easy for novice players and kids even at 200cc.

Three new vehicles have been added, two are even inspired by Splatoon.

Carry two items at the same time.

Returning items include Boo, the item stealing ghost, and the Feather, which gives you a high jump in battle mode.

Play your friends in local wireless multiplayer with up to 8 players.

Drive through in 1080p HD quality in TV mode.

Play on the go with handheld mode and play anytime, anywhere!

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe includes 48 awesome courses and 42 characters, including Bowser Jr. and the Inklings from Splatoon, and some cool extras like the fast 200 cc speed class. Every course, character, and mode is also unlocked right from the start, meaning you can just jump right in and hit the track.

The one new addition is the Smart Steering, a new feature designed to help keep novice players on the road. It is not a bad idea at all to newcomers to help them understand a game with a very simple set of game controls like Mario Kart.

Nintendo did choose to leave Smart Steering on by default and it is not really clear how to turn it off in the menus. With that annoying little quirk, this collection is high quality kart racer with lots of content for everyone to enjoy.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe does look great on the Switch. It is just as fun now in 2017 as it was back in 2014, and great art direction is a major reason that the graphics have stood the test of time. The course designs, in particular, are outstanding.

Even the remade tracks, like the SNES Rainbow Road or F-Zero’s Mute City, have amazing detail that is noticeable whether you are playing on the handheld or TV. The frame rate does drop from 60 to 30 frames per second if you play on a single Switch with three or four players, but that is hardly a deal breaker when the racing looks this awesome.

If you already have the Wii U version, the real reason to pick up Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the redone Battle mode. Nintendo added five smart objective based modes, and each one brings its own unique competitive angle to its eight varied areas.

In Balloon Battle, you have to take advantage of the items and smart positioning to score points by popping your rivals’ balloons. Shine Thief is a wacky, action packed riff on keep away. Bob-bomb Blast is an explosive, over-the-top face-off. Or play Coin Runners, gathering or swiping coins from others is okay, but not nearly as exciting as the others.

The biggest highlight is the suspenseful fight or flight game play of Renegade Roundup. It is a round based mode where a team of outlaws desperately tries to avoid a squad of Piranha Plant cops until the timer runs out.

If a teammate is captured, you can free them with some skilled driving, but it comes at the risk of getting caught and losing the match if you are the last man standing. That sets up unique make-or-break moments that can be lots of fun with the right team. You can play any of these modes against bots of varying intelligence, but where the real fun starts is online.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s online suite is still a work in progress on the Switch as it was on the Wii U. Some of its improvements to note for example, faster to get you into a game, and you can finally swap characters, or karts between the different races.

But the Switch still feels like a hassle next to the convenience of other systems because you still have to use outside means to communicate with friends. It is aggravating that there is no way to invite players to join your matches.

Final Thoughts:

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an amazing game for a gorgeous kart racer and every bit as addictive as it was back in 2014. This has to be the best entry in the series so far, and it has all the content you will need for many hours of enjoyment.

Returning players have seen a lot of this game before, but the over hauled Battle mode and its five additional ways to play are a great reason to pick it up.